After the tentative Barathrum (1993),
Texan band Absu, fronted by drummer and vocalist Proscriptor (Russ Givens) and featuring a synthesizer, coined an erudite and epic black-metal style devoted to esoteric and exotic themes on their second album Sun of Tiphareth (1995).

The Third Storm of Cythraul (1997) was a transitional work.
Their most successful album was Tara (2001), also their most violent work.